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2022
March Events 3/25/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 3/28/2022 (Mon.) Law Day Committee Meeting 3/29/2022 (Tues.) CLE Committee Meeting April Events 4/1/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 4/8/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 4/12/2022 (Tues.) BOG Meeting 4/15/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 4/19/2022 (Tues.) CLE - canceled 4/20/2022 (Wed.) Bench/Bar Listening Session 4/22/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 4/26/2022 (Tues.) CLE Committee Meeting 4/29/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar May Events 5/4/2022 (Wed.) Law Day Event - 4.00 pm 5/6/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 5/10/2022 (Tues.) BOG Meeting 5/13/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 5/17/2022 (Tues.) CLE 5/20/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 5/27/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 5/30/2022 (Tues.) CLE Committee Meeting June Events 6/3/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 6/10/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 6/14/2022 (Tues.) BOG Meeting 6/17/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 6/21/2022 (Tues.) Annual Meeting 6/24/2022 (Fri.) Breakfast with the Bar 6/28/2022 (Tues.) CLE Committee Meeting |
happy hour - last week
Prairie State Legal Services' Courthouse Eviction ProjectThe Illinois eviction moratorium expired on October 3, 2021, bringing with it a wave of eviction filings after a lengthy pause under both state and federal moratoriums. Since then, the Prairie State Legal Services’ courthouse eviction project has been a successful joint effort requiring the cooperation of the Court and the private bar to ensure that tenants navigating eviction court can get legal advice and that both parties can learn about and benefit from available rental assistance. From the first week of October 2021 to the first week of March 2022, Prairie State has served an estimated 220 cases through the project. Each week at the time set for first appearances in eviction court, Prairie State staff attorneys gather along with volunteer attorneys and paralegals to provide legal advice to all eligible tenants who want it. After receiving advice, tenants may reach agreement with their landlord to resolve their case, or seek a trial on the issues. Volunteers have been critical to the success of the program, and we thank our colleagues, many of whom are MCBA members, for their contributions. These include representatives from the Illinois JusticeCorps program (which also runs a self-help desk at the McLean County law library) and from State Farm’s law department. We have also partnered with other area agencies to streamline access to services that can impact the resolution of these cases. The Immigration Project is a housing stability services provider designated by the Illinois Housing Development Authority to assist renters with requests for Court-Based Rental Assistance (CBRAP). The Immigration Project has a table down the hall from Prairie State’s clinic to help renters apply for that funding on the spot. The clinic has also hosted representatives from the City of Bloomington, Town of Normal, PATH, and Mid-Central Community Action, which have provided emergency assistance and service referrals to tenants. In addition to Prairie State’s courthouse eviction project, Prairie State attorneys advocate on housing issues in several ways. Attorney Emily Petri leads the Bloomington-Normal section of Prairie State's Fair Housing Project. The Fair Housing Project investigates and challenges cases of discrimination by housing providers. The Project helps clients resolve fair housing disputes and conducts community legal education on fair housing rights and responsibilities. Attorneys Adrian Barr and Erin Duncan co-chair the United Way of McLean County Housing Assistance Coalition, which gathers agency representatives to address issues of area housing instability. The Coalition anticipates releasing a periodic report this month about current issues and trends in this arena. Please direct any questions to Erin Duncan at eduncan@pslegal.org NOMINATION DEADLINE - APRIL 4THE MCLEAN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION IS ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS
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